6 Habits of Anxiety You May Not Know Of

Has anyone ever told you that you twirl your hair too much? Or fidget a lot?

These little things you do are some of the more common habits of people with anxiety.

While there are common habits, anxiety can manifest in more ways than one.

Here are some anxious habits that don’t get enough attention.

You obsessively control over things

Do you constantly find yourself triple-checking your plans? Are you always making sure that everything’s not falling apart?

People with anxiety feel an impending sense of doom for the things that they’re responsible for. They have this inescapable feeling that things can go terribly wrong at any moment. And in order to prevent that, they try to regain control of things by obsessively making sure things are the way they’re supposed to be.

You get bored too easily

Do you feel like you can’t connect with others? Do you feel that conversations with people turn dry far too often than you’d like?

Anxious people tend to have difficulty concentrating at the present moment. They could be so in their minds that they fail to actually listen and engage with other people in a fun and meaningful way.

You may find yourself getting out of a conversation feeling negative about it – but ask yourself, were you fully engaged with the other person or were you thinking about how you appeared across instead?

You over-apologize

Do you find yourself saying sorry for even the simplest things, such as before asking a question or when you do something on behalf of someone else?

Anxious people may feel guilty for things that aren’t their fault.

Excessively apologizing may feel like a natural thing to do the more you do it, but doing so can be harmful to your self-esteem in the long run.

The next time you catch yourself about to say sorry for something, ask yourself whether it’s really necessary. Don’t beat yourself up for it if you do blurt it out – but try to be a bit more observant of your response and examine whether it’s really necessary to apologize.

You have trouble sleeping at night

Do you spend hours ruminating about the bad memories of the day – or even from years ago?

Anxious people tend to retain a sense of mental alertness, marked by worry, before falling asleep. These individuals are prone to be hyper-vigilant throughout the night, causing them to sleep a lot less than they should.

And if that’s not enough, these insomniac tendencies can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and other mood behaviours during the day as well.

You use your phone as a crutch

Do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone during breaks in conversation?

Anxious people often take out their phones as a coping mechanism to engage attention away from negative thoughts. You may feel unsure about how to deal with certain situations and use your phone as a crutch.

It can be hard to disconnect yourself from your phone when you need to, especially because phones are integrated into our everyday lives. However, you may feel more alert throughout conversations and add value to them if you decrease your time in it gradually.

Talking too much

Freezing up in conversation can be clear of anxiety, sure, but talking too much…?

Surprisingly, this habit can be a sign too. Anxious people often talk more to fill up the air during perceived silence. They want to add value and avoid awkwardness, but it often stems from a place of nervousness and insecurity rather than authenticity and general inquiry.

Closing Thoughts

There is no shame in having anxiety. The important thing is that you recognize the habits so you can learn from them and grow.

Do you relate to any of the signs above? Do you have any more signs that you think would fit this description? Share them in the comments below.

That’s all for now, Psych2Goers!

References

Steber, C. (Sept 27, 2018).15 Little Habits You Won’t Believe Are Signs Of Anxiety. Bustle. Retrieved at https://www.bustle.com/p/15-little-habits-you-wont-believe-are-signs-of-anxiety-12016423

Suni, E. (Dec 10, 2020) Anxiety and Sleep. Sleep Foundation. Retrieved at https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/anxiety-and-sleep

NA. (ND) Nine Annoying Habits that Could Signal Anxiety. The Dawn Rehab. Retrieved at https://thedawnrehab.com/infographic/nine-annoying-habits-that-could-signal-anxiety/

Ayala, D. (Nov 10, 2020) 8 Little Habits You Don’t Know Are Signs Of Anxiety. Psych2Go. Retrieved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjLOWQqy2MU&t